That is the question that all Hog fans would like to know but really don't want to know right now. Seriously, would football be nearly as fun if you knew what your team was going to do beforehand? Nope. That's where the old saying comes from, "That's why they play the games", because anyone could figure out who should win on paper. I'm going to go ahead and try to guess who should win the Hog's games on, not paper, but more like a liquid crystal HD monitor if you catch my drift.
Here's how I can see our season playing out. I have no doubt that we will be better than last year. Will our record be better? Yes. How much better? Let's take a look. I see us winning the games we should on paper which would be SW Missouri St., Auburn, Eastern Michigan, Troy, and Mississippi St. Yes I included two SEC teams which really should never be counted as automatic W's, but I am because I think Auburn and Mississippi St. are not going to be very good this season. Auburn may be better than expected but we have them at home as well as MSU and I think we will beat them so there. That's five wins minimum this season that I think are pretty much automatic. Going from there I think it can go one way or the other, we can win the rest of our home games which would add Georgia and South Carolina, giving us 7 wins, and then I believe we'd beat Texass A&M in Dallas, which Petrino is counting as a home game. That would be 8 wins. I can see that happening, or I could see us losing a tough game at home to Georgia which would be tough to come back from the next week playing Alabama. That would take our win total down to 7 unless we stole one on the road. The Hogs have 4 extremely difficult road games in Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss, and at LSU. We could lose all four and probably should if you play the games on paper. But luckily the Hogs are not doing that, remember? Here's my fun little take on what the Hogs will do this season:
Week 1
Missouri State: I see this game as a close nail biter for a bunch of young Hogs that goes down to the last possession. I think our quarterback will make a beautiful long pass on 4th and 1 to a true freshman wide receiver to keep a late 4th quarter drive alive and finally get the ball into the endzone to win the game with a minute to go.........Errrrr, wait a minute that was last year. This one won't even be close and it better not be for Hog fan's sakes. I don't think most Hog fans would mind seeing an ugly blowout or even a boring blowout as long as the Hogs take care of business. No deja vu necessary please. The Hogs get it started with long runs by Michael Smith and long passes by Mallet to several receivers. Tyler Wilson plays the entire second half and ends up with some nice numbers as well. The defense does a good job not giving up many points but does give up some yards to this Bear bunch. Hogs win 56-9.
Week 2
Bye: Hogs beat the crap out of Bye so bad that Bye fails to show up for the next eleven weeks. ;)
Week 3
Georgia: The Bulldogs come a barking into DWRS and are ready to go as this is the first time they have faced a Bobby Petrino coached Hog team. Mark Richt has his Dawgs ready as they come out trying to push the Hog D around in the first quarter. They run right down the Hog's throat and dominate the entire quarter. Petrino gets his team's attention though and the offense gets it going. After falling behind in the first quarter 10-0, the Hogs put up 13 quick points on a long Dennis Johnson TD run and a play action pass from Mallet to Jarius Wright. Alex Tejada missed the extra point after the Wright TD. The Hogs D finally shows up and holds Georgia to 3 points in the second quarter and the game is tied at the half at 13 apiece. Both offenses come out on fire in the second half and both teams score two TDs each. Late in the 4th Mallet takes the Hog's offense down the field on a beautiful 68 yard drive that takes up 4 minutes of the clock. Tejada redeems himself from the missed PAT in the first half, with a 36 yard field goal to take a 3 point lead with only 38 seconds to go in the game. Georgia gets the ball back after a squib kick at their 42 yard line. Two plays later they get the ball to the Hog 41 yard line where they try the 58 yard field goal. The kick is long enough thanks to a 22 MPH breeze, but thanks to the spirit of Paul Eells, Tusk #1, David Bazzell and the new yellow uprights, the kick goes wide left. Hogs win 30-27!!!
Week 4
At Alabama: The Hogs run into a stout Tide defense and can't get much going at all in the first half. Neither can the #8 Tide as their freshman quarterback gets chased all over the place by the Hog d-line and blitzers from all over. The Hog's defense shows it can play in the SEC and holds Bama to 24 points, but the Hog offense just can't get it going on a wet day in Tuscaloosa. Mallet passes for 2 TDs and Tejada adds a field goal to make the final score: Bama 24 Hogs 17
Week 5
Texass A&M: The Hogs come into Donald W. Reynolds South otherwise known as Jerry Jones Palace, also known as GigantiJumbotron Dome, and last but not least Dallas Cowboys Stadium, and face long time SWC foe the Texass A&M Aggies. The Aggies come into the game with a deceiving 3-0 record, but they figure out pretty quickly that the Hogs are no cupcake and get down 24-0 on some precise passing by Mallet and a pick 6 returned by Matt Harris. The Hogs have a field day against this Big 12 patsie and rout the hapless Aggies 48-13.
Week 6
Auburn: It's back to conference play for the Hogs and as usual the Tigers bring in a stout defense and a hard nosed running game.....Wait, Tuberville's gone. Gene Chizik brings in his Tigers along with former Hog offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, and his hurry up spread offense. Luckily Auburn does not have the personnel to run this offense and has a tough time moving the ball on the Hog defense. Arkansas on the other hand has no trouble going trough Auburn's defense like a buzzsaw. It looks to get ugly, but Bobby pulls on the reigns and saves it for another day as the Hogs go to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the SEC. Hogs win 31-20.
Week 7
At Florida: The Hogs weathered and worn after four straight weeks of tough football run into the teeth of a fired up top ranked Gator team that's looking for it's second straight national championship and third in four years. Luckily for the Hogs Florida is coming off a tough game the week before against the LSU Tigers in Death Valley in which they won to stay undefeated. The Hogs find it tough going in the first half, however are able to hang with the Gators going into halftime only down by 7. In the second half Tebow gets the Gators offense going and scores 3 touchdowns, two passing and one running. The Hogs do their best to hang in and score two touchdowns and a field goal. In the end the Gators are too much for the much improved Hogs, and win the game 38-27.
Week 8
At Ole Miss: The Hogs show up to an extremely disappointed Oxford where the Rebs are sitting at 3-3 after being ranked in the preseason top 10 by pretty much everyone. But Houston Nutt has his team ready to play his Texass...the Hogs and tells everyone the week of the game that his team is still playing for the national championship of Mississippi. When told that Mississippi isn't a nation by the member of a press, Houston said that's what his ring from the 2008 season had engraved on it, so the press member didn't know what he was talking about. After all of that hubub everyone was just ready for a game and what a game it was. The Hogs offense is clicking on all cylinders and run for 2 touchdowns in the first half and pass for 2 more. Tejada kicks 2 field goals as well and the Hogs go into the 2nd half up 34-24. Ole Miss doesn't ever give up though as they are winners and fighters and came back on the Hogs to even up the score at 34 in the third setting up for a monumental 4th quarter that nobody will believe. The Hogs get it going with a draw play on 3rd and long that Ronnie Wingo takes up the middle for a 64 yard touchdown. Houston is dancing on the sideline much to the dismay of the Ole Miss faithful in the stands. Little does he know that the ESPN cameras pick up audio of him saying, "That was a called play, and I called that play brutha." Of course Houston is still confused as to which team is his on the field, so his coaching staff and the media gave him a mulligan for stupidity. The fans however did not find it funny and booed him the rest of the game. The Rebels did manage to score a couple more field goals but the Hogs added another touchdown to finish off the 3-4 Rebels 48-40.
Week 9
Eastern Michigan: The Hogs welcome the Eagles to Fayetteville for a stomping of epic proportions. The Hogs get up 49-o in the first half and Mallet gets benched for changing a called run play for a deep post pass to Lucas Miller who is back to form after his preseason injury. Mallet explained after the game that he jut wanted Miller to have a big play after being out for so long. Petrino didn't care he told Mallet it's his way or the highway. Mallet said yes sir and promptly pulled Petrino's boot out of his butt and headed to the bench. Tyler Wilson did a fine job in mop up duty and finished the Eagles off. Hogs
win 73-3.
Week 10
South Carolina: The Gamecocks come into town and after many years of being called the surprise team in the SEC, they actually have surprised many. They come into Fayetteville with an 8-1 record with their only loss being the the Crimson Tide of Alabama. They are as cocky as their coach and their mascot, and they pay for it. The Hogs don't like their attitude and jump on them early. Mallet throws are a thing of beauty whether deep posts or fly patterns, or the perfectly timed dump screens to his backs. Michael Smith has the game of his career with 4 TDs and in a very close game to the finish as South Carolina comes within inches of beating the Hogs. The Hog D pulls off a goalline stop with 1:20 remaining in the 4th that gives the Hogs the victory. The Hogs win 41-34.
Week 11
Troy State: The Trojans show up to Fayetteville with nothing but a victory on their minds, thanks to their confident coach that has professed his prediction of a win against the Hogs to anyone and everyone that will listen. Bobby Petrino said before the game that he didn't think the Hogs had a chance with a slight smirk. He even told the team that in the locker room. This of course fired his team up so much that they came out with fire in their eyes, even though they were facing a much inferior team. The Hogs blow the roof off of the Broyles building with the most efficient performance by a QB in Hog history. Kevin Scanlon's numbers don't hold a chance now as Mallet goes nearly perfect with 28-30 for 377 yards and 4 touchdown passes. Hogs win 56-24.
Week 12
Mississippi State: The Dawgs of MSU come to the Rock with hopes of finishing out of the SEC West cellar but leave with their collective tails between their legs. They did keep the game ugly, helped by the heavy sleet and snow, and held the Hog offense to it's lowest point total of the season, however the Hogs showed they could win ugly games as well as the shootouts. The Hog defense showed up ready to go and made MSU coach Dan Mullen wish he had never left the comfort of Tim Tebow's arms at Florida. Mullen may have an offense some day if he ever gets a QB but it won't be this day. The Hogs win in a defensive struggle 13-6.
Week 13
At LSU: This game has SEC West implications for both teams. Arkansas can cause a three way tie with Alabama and LSU if they can find a way to beat the Tigers in Death Valley, and after the 18th tiebreaker if the flip of the coin goes the Hog's way they could go to Atlanta. The game started off well enough as the Hogs established the run game with Michael Smith, Dennis Johnson, Ronnie Wingo, and Broderick Green. The Tigers didn't have an answer for the myriad of backs the Hogs threw at them. The Tigers took a different approach as their quarterback threw for 200 yards in the first half. Mallet seemed to struggle as the crowd noise was deafening, and he never got it going consistently. He did still pass for 268 yards to set the new Hogs season passing mark at 3428 yards. However the Hogs could not stop the Tigers and lost their chance to go to Atlanta as the Tigers won 31-21.
The Hogs finish the regular season 9-3. The Hogs expect a call from the Cotton Bowl but since the SEC got two teams into the BCS Championship game Florida and LSU, and Alabama got into the Sugar Bowl, the Hogs are headed for the Capital One Bowl in Orlando where they will fact the Ohio St. Buckeyes. The Hogs and Buckeyes play a heck of a game with little defense, and lots of offense. The Hogs get screwed on a late offensive pass interference flag on London Crawford. The video showed that he was going for the push on the defender but missed and somehow caught the ball instead. The touchdown was nullified and the Hogs lost the game 37-31.
Hogs finish 9-4 in one of the most exciting seasons in Hog history. This leads up to the 2010 season when the Hogs go to their first BCS bowl game ever since the BCS was created.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
OPTIMISM ABOUNDS AS HOG FOOTBALL SEASON NEARS
The air is crisp and cool this morning. It reminds me of a nice autumn day in Arkansas that you might see in October. It makes me think of the leaves changing to beautiful oranges and reds and yellows, and it also makes me think of making that wonderful drive up on the Hill for some Hog football. But alas it's still August and for some reason God has blessed us with this wonderful non-typical weather that I will be the last one to gripe about. That along with us being only a week away from Hog football has me pumped up about ready to dance for joy, and call those Hogs baby!!!!!
It's my favorite time of year and I can't help but be optimistic about this year's team. I think most people are excited about what's in store, and for good reason. We have more depth and talent on the offensive side of the ball than we've seen in a long time, maybe ever. We have a defense that got better as last season went along, and one that has been infused with much better talent, size, and speed at almost every position in the offseason. That alone makes it sound like we should have a heck of a season, especially when you consider the men responsible for coaching said talent. I mean, you'd be crazy to not predict a 10 win season at worst, right? But alas there are still some question marks and big ones at that, that will have to be answered as the season goes along, before we determine how good this team can or will be. A few of those are of course the special teams play, as well as the defense.
The defense is a question mark because it struggled so mightily for most of the season last year, especially against the top tiered teams. It did get better as the season went on, but anyone that follows SEC football knows, it takes a stout defense to win and win big, no matter how good of an offense you might have. I don't expect our defense to struggle like it did last year, but I also don't expect a miracle. We will see much improvement on this side of the ball, and it will help us win a few more games than last year. But I don't see us shutting down a Florida or an LSU just yet. Does that mean we can't outscore teams like that, well, we'll just have to wait and see. We did figure out a way to do it to LSU last year so we know that these Hogs have it in them to step up and tusk someone that they're not exactly expected to. We have more depth on defense this year at every position. We did bring in some JUCO players as well in the secondary that should help immediately as well as the two freshmen talents, in Winston and Gordon. Both should contribute immediately and should improve as they gain experience. Our defensive line needs to step it up for us to win more than 5 games this year. It has to get pressure on the opposing quarterbacks in order to not leave our secondary hanging out to dry. I believe our linebackers are ready to show what they can do as we go into this season in much better shape than last year. We have healthy big and strong SEC looking linebackers that are ready to lay a hit on the best players in football. Now they just need to make sure they are in the right place at the right time. This position to me is a key to our defensive improvement. We have to stay healthy here as it's still not as deep as other positions on the team. Let me say that again, WE HAVE TO STAY HEALTHY at the linebacker position for us to have a good season. At pretty much every other position we have some good depth. The secondary is still a bit thin for my liking, but I think the backups are probably more talented than the starters, but they are green. Hopefully we will avoid the injury bug, and they can be brought along slowly and not forced to play out of desperation. The safety position will be a fun one to watch as Anthony Leon gets thrown into the mix. He will remind some of Kenoy Kennedy with his hitting style. He hopefully will put the fear of Hog in our opponent's wide receivers when they come across the middle. What this defense needs is a leader. I think they have one in Malcolm Sheppard. He will need to have an All-SEC type season for us to do well, and I think he will. Like I said, I don't expect a miracle from this group, but I do expect major improvement. I think Willy Robinson will prove his worth one way or the other this season. He's got some players now, and now he's got to show what kind of a coach he is. We will have our questions answered soon enough on the defense.
The special teams, well that's a whole other ball of wax. It's probably the biggest question mark on the team this year that probably has the biggest impact on each individual game be it good or bad. Bad special teams play has plagued the Hogs for it seems like decades now. Sure we have had bright spots here and there with either some great return men in Felix and D-Mac, or great punters, or great coverage teams. We have not had a great kicker or punt returner it feels like in ages. So what does Petrino do? He goes out and finds the best special teams coach he can find. He knows this aspect of the game is just as important as the offense and defense. It can win or lose games just as easily as having a Swiss cheese defense or an unstoppable offense. I believe our strengths this season will once again be on kickoff returns with Dennis Johnson holding a firm grip on the job. Punt returns should have a bit more excitement this year, and not just from holding our breath hoping the unlucky punt catcher will actually catch the ball. I think Joe Adams will finally give us what we've all been waiting for since.......Well since Ken Hatfield was back there. A punt returner that is an actual threat to take it all the way to the house at any time. He is so quick and shifty that he can make guys miss at the drop of a hat. I think he will make us excited for a good reason and will probably extend Hog fan's life expectancy's by years.......As long as he catches the ball. Michael Smith may get a shot as well at punt returner, but I think Adams is bigger and just as quick so he'll probably keep the gig for the most part.
As far as the actual kickers themselves, that is the biggest question mark on this team. Can Tejada become the Tejadamatic that we've all been hoping for, or will we all be saying Tejadios and looking for someone else. The problem is there is nobody else. We have a walkon but he has performed so poorly I don't even remember his name. We do have a kicker coming in next year, but this post is about this year's team. Bottom line is Tejada needs to man up mentally and physically and do the one thing asked of him, kick it straight and kick it hard. If he can do that, even somewhat consistently it will mean a difference in at least 2 to 3 games. If not, we'll be seeing a lot more gambling by Petrino than we might like. It hurt us big time last year and definitely kept the Hogs out of a bowl game. A kick here and there will be the difference in this team going to a crappy December bowl, or a New Year's Day bowl. Let's all bow our heads and say a little prayer for Tejada now. It can't hurt.
Now onto the punting situation, we have some great gunners this year, with speed galore, as well as guys that are ready to hit. Punt coverage has been one of our few strengths on the special teams in the past several years and I don't expect anything differently as long as our punter gets the ball off and does a decent job. You may see two different punters as the competition is tight between Forester and Breeding. One has the edge in experience, that would be Forester. He's also been the most consistent in fall camp. Breeding has the edge in leg strength however he's a true freshman and tends to shank the kicks a bit more than Forester. John L. Smith has high hopes for him in the future. I'm betting that you'll see both. Forester will be the first out but if there is a sign of trouble be it a shank or just not getting the ball off in time, you'll see a quick hook to check out the competition play out in a live game. This position is not one that you want to pay a whole lot of attention to but when something goes wrong, everyone in the stadium knows it. Let's hope the punters will remain somewhat unnoticed this year. Heck let's hope that we don't ever have to use the punters, that would be great wouldn't it?
I am truly not too concerned with the offense, I think we have several playmakers at every skill position and as long as we see our offensive line perform to Petrino's standards, we will see good things out of the Hog offense. In fact if there is a question on offense it is our line. We have to replace Luigs at center and that will be no easy task, but I expect good things out of our line. Especially since the defenses will have to cover the whole field and not just play the run. Ryan Mallet is ready to show what he can do, and I think all Hog fans are ready as well. I don't think he will be perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but for the first time in years, we will not be relying on a bus driver to get us down the field, but a true NFL type talent that can be molded into one of the top QBs in the game. And if for some reason he can't get the job done, we have a quality backup in Tyler Wilson to come in and get the job done. Really, if I'm 1oo% honest, I believe that this position will have it easier due to the talent surrounding it at the wide receiver and running back positions. I think Casey Dick would have had a great season if he had another year of eligibility and that's saying a lot. I'm glad he's moved on though and we have replaced him with a rocket armed Mallet that can take even more advantage of those aforementioned weapons. Those weapons include guys like Joe Adams, Jarius Wright, Greg Childs, London Crawford, DJ Williams, Michael Smith, Dennis Johnson, all players that made huge plays last year. And that doesn't even include the super talented incoming players like: Cobi Hamilton, Broderick Green, Ronnie Wingo, Knile Davis, players that will have an impact even though they are only freshmen other than Green. I have to say it.....We're freaking loaded. Who are you going to shut down if you are the other team? Pick one, pick two, hell pick three or four that you are going to focus on. Do that and guess what, one of the others is sure to get you. This is a coordinators fantasy or nightmare depending on which side of the ball he's on. No wonder our defense has struggled, they are going against what I believe will be a top 20 offense. Not just running offense, or passing offense, but OFFENSE period. This should be one of the most exciting offensive teams to watch in Hog history. I know they haven't played a snap yet, and I'm biased.....Nah not me.
Yes with Bobby Petrino leading they way, this team may not have all of the pieces in place to compete for the SEC title just yet, but to me, it doesn't look like we are that far off. Yes we play a hellacious schedule, but what's new. Yes we play in the toughest conference, ah piece of cake. Yes we have one of the best head coaches in the land, and yes he has brought in some great coaches to assist him, and yes we have more talent on the Hill than who knows when. Now he has to make the pieces fit. What does that mean for this year? Excitement, joy, streets paved with gold and much more. But Hogaddict, what about wins? How many wins are we going to have? Ah, grasshopper, you will have to wait and see........Until my prediction post. :)
As usual GO HOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's my favorite time of year and I can't help but be optimistic about this year's team. I think most people are excited about what's in store, and for good reason. We have more depth and talent on the offensive side of the ball than we've seen in a long time, maybe ever. We have a defense that got better as last season went along, and one that has been infused with much better talent, size, and speed at almost every position in the offseason. That alone makes it sound like we should have a heck of a season, especially when you consider the men responsible for coaching said talent. I mean, you'd be crazy to not predict a 10 win season at worst, right? But alas there are still some question marks and big ones at that, that will have to be answered as the season goes along, before we determine how good this team can or will be. A few of those are of course the special teams play, as well as the defense.
The defense is a question mark because it struggled so mightily for most of the season last year, especially against the top tiered teams. It did get better as the season went on, but anyone that follows SEC football knows, it takes a stout defense to win and win big, no matter how good of an offense you might have. I don't expect our defense to struggle like it did last year, but I also don't expect a miracle. We will see much improvement on this side of the ball, and it will help us win a few more games than last year. But I don't see us shutting down a Florida or an LSU just yet. Does that mean we can't outscore teams like that, well, we'll just have to wait and see. We did figure out a way to do it to LSU last year so we know that these Hogs have it in them to step up and tusk someone that they're not exactly expected to. We have more depth on defense this year at every position. We did bring in some JUCO players as well in the secondary that should help immediately as well as the two freshmen talents, in Winston and Gordon. Both should contribute immediately and should improve as they gain experience. Our defensive line needs to step it up for us to win more than 5 games this year. It has to get pressure on the opposing quarterbacks in order to not leave our secondary hanging out to dry. I believe our linebackers are ready to show what they can do as we go into this season in much better shape than last year. We have healthy big and strong SEC looking linebackers that are ready to lay a hit on the best players in football. Now they just need to make sure they are in the right place at the right time. This position to me is a key to our defensive improvement. We have to stay healthy here as it's still not as deep as other positions on the team. Let me say that again, WE HAVE TO STAY HEALTHY at the linebacker position for us to have a good season. At pretty much every other position we have some good depth. The secondary is still a bit thin for my liking, but I think the backups are probably more talented than the starters, but they are green. Hopefully we will avoid the injury bug, and they can be brought along slowly and not forced to play out of desperation. The safety position will be a fun one to watch as Anthony Leon gets thrown into the mix. He will remind some of Kenoy Kennedy with his hitting style. He hopefully will put the fear of Hog in our opponent's wide receivers when they come across the middle. What this defense needs is a leader. I think they have one in Malcolm Sheppard. He will need to have an All-SEC type season for us to do well, and I think he will. Like I said, I don't expect a miracle from this group, but I do expect major improvement. I think Willy Robinson will prove his worth one way or the other this season. He's got some players now, and now he's got to show what kind of a coach he is. We will have our questions answered soon enough on the defense.
The special teams, well that's a whole other ball of wax. It's probably the biggest question mark on the team this year that probably has the biggest impact on each individual game be it good or bad. Bad special teams play has plagued the Hogs for it seems like decades now. Sure we have had bright spots here and there with either some great return men in Felix and D-Mac, or great punters, or great coverage teams. We have not had a great kicker or punt returner it feels like in ages. So what does Petrino do? He goes out and finds the best special teams coach he can find. He knows this aspect of the game is just as important as the offense and defense. It can win or lose games just as easily as having a Swiss cheese defense or an unstoppable offense. I believe our strengths this season will once again be on kickoff returns with Dennis Johnson holding a firm grip on the job. Punt returns should have a bit more excitement this year, and not just from holding our breath hoping the unlucky punt catcher will actually catch the ball. I think Joe Adams will finally give us what we've all been waiting for since.......Well since Ken Hatfield was back there. A punt returner that is an actual threat to take it all the way to the house at any time. He is so quick and shifty that he can make guys miss at the drop of a hat. I think he will make us excited for a good reason and will probably extend Hog fan's life expectancy's by years.......As long as he catches the ball. Michael Smith may get a shot as well at punt returner, but I think Adams is bigger and just as quick so he'll probably keep the gig for the most part.
As far as the actual kickers themselves, that is the biggest question mark on this team. Can Tejada become the Tejadamatic that we've all been hoping for, or will we all be saying Tejadios and looking for someone else. The problem is there is nobody else. We have a walkon but he has performed so poorly I don't even remember his name. We do have a kicker coming in next year, but this post is about this year's team. Bottom line is Tejada needs to man up mentally and physically and do the one thing asked of him, kick it straight and kick it hard. If he can do that, even somewhat consistently it will mean a difference in at least 2 to 3 games. If not, we'll be seeing a lot more gambling by Petrino than we might like. It hurt us big time last year and definitely kept the Hogs out of a bowl game. A kick here and there will be the difference in this team going to a crappy December bowl, or a New Year's Day bowl. Let's all bow our heads and say a little prayer for Tejada now. It can't hurt.
Now onto the punting situation, we have some great gunners this year, with speed galore, as well as guys that are ready to hit. Punt coverage has been one of our few strengths on the special teams in the past several years and I don't expect anything differently as long as our punter gets the ball off and does a decent job. You may see two different punters as the competition is tight between Forester and Breeding. One has the edge in experience, that would be Forester. He's also been the most consistent in fall camp. Breeding has the edge in leg strength however he's a true freshman and tends to shank the kicks a bit more than Forester. John L. Smith has high hopes for him in the future. I'm betting that you'll see both. Forester will be the first out but if there is a sign of trouble be it a shank or just not getting the ball off in time, you'll see a quick hook to check out the competition play out in a live game. This position is not one that you want to pay a whole lot of attention to but when something goes wrong, everyone in the stadium knows it. Let's hope the punters will remain somewhat unnoticed this year. Heck let's hope that we don't ever have to use the punters, that would be great wouldn't it?
I am truly not too concerned with the offense, I think we have several playmakers at every skill position and as long as we see our offensive line perform to Petrino's standards, we will see good things out of the Hog offense. In fact if there is a question on offense it is our line. We have to replace Luigs at center and that will be no easy task, but I expect good things out of our line. Especially since the defenses will have to cover the whole field and not just play the run. Ryan Mallet is ready to show what he can do, and I think all Hog fans are ready as well. I don't think he will be perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but for the first time in years, we will not be relying on a bus driver to get us down the field, but a true NFL type talent that can be molded into one of the top QBs in the game. And if for some reason he can't get the job done, we have a quality backup in Tyler Wilson to come in and get the job done. Really, if I'm 1oo% honest, I believe that this position will have it easier due to the talent surrounding it at the wide receiver and running back positions. I think Casey Dick would have had a great season if he had another year of eligibility and that's saying a lot. I'm glad he's moved on though and we have replaced him with a rocket armed Mallet that can take even more advantage of those aforementioned weapons. Those weapons include guys like Joe Adams, Jarius Wright, Greg Childs, London Crawford, DJ Williams, Michael Smith, Dennis Johnson, all players that made huge plays last year. And that doesn't even include the super talented incoming players like: Cobi Hamilton, Broderick Green, Ronnie Wingo, Knile Davis, players that will have an impact even though they are only freshmen other than Green. I have to say it.....We're freaking loaded. Who are you going to shut down if you are the other team? Pick one, pick two, hell pick three or four that you are going to focus on. Do that and guess what, one of the others is sure to get you. This is a coordinators fantasy or nightmare depending on which side of the ball he's on. No wonder our defense has struggled, they are going against what I believe will be a top 20 offense. Not just running offense, or passing offense, but OFFENSE period. This should be one of the most exciting offensive teams to watch in Hog history. I know they haven't played a snap yet, and I'm biased.....Nah not me.
Yes with Bobby Petrino leading they way, this team may not have all of the pieces in place to compete for the SEC title just yet, but to me, it doesn't look like we are that far off. Yes we play a hellacious schedule, but what's new. Yes we play in the toughest conference, ah piece of cake. Yes we have one of the best head coaches in the land, and yes he has brought in some great coaches to assist him, and yes we have more talent on the Hill than who knows when. Now he has to make the pieces fit. What does that mean for this year? Excitement, joy, streets paved with gold and much more. But Hogaddict, what about wins? How many wins are we going to have? Ah, grasshopper, you will have to wait and see........Until my prediction post. :)
As usual GO HOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
HOGS 2009 ROSTER FULL OF PROMISE
I love looking at the roster by position and it looks like we have addressed our depth issues at most positions. We have good experienced players coming back at pretty much every position except for kicker (experience, just not good experience) and punter and even the not so good ones will be pushed by the talented newcomers. I can't help but be positive looking at the new depth in the secondary, even if they are younger guys. We should be good there soon if not this year. My main concern on D would probably be at the LB position. We are still a bit thin there but not as thin as we were last year. We do have some talent there though and if we stay healthy, look out. The D-line looks better than it has in a long time with some true SEC sized DTs in the mix. Along with the long lean fast guys on the edge I'm expecting big things. Our defense should be much improved over last year, but it won't take much for that. I really think it will be awhile before we are really good as we'll still be relying a lot on younger players especially in the secondary. Hopefully the JUCO's will make an impact, if they do we could have a salty defense this year.
On offense we look loaded. I mean if our QB play is improved at all, which I'm betting it will be, then I don't see how our offense doesn't improve tremendously. The talent at QB is better than we've ever had probably, but it's got to be translated to play on the field of course. I think it will. The depth at RB (8 quality guys) and WR (12 quality guys) is astonishing to me. Practices should be awesome to watch just watching the competition at these two positions. TE is a rather thin position but we have one of if not the most talented one in the nation in DJ. If he stays healthy, he'll have a great year and if Cleveland can stay healthy for a season, we'll be even deeper at the WR/TE position than we already are. Our O-line looks as deep as ever and I think versatility is the key word there as they seem to plug different guys into different places depending on the situation and don't hesitate at all to move a guard to the center position if they think one is capable of the move. That's the one question mark for me is, who will replace Luigs? I think we've got some worthy candidates and that should be an interesting development to watch as camp goes on. I think we should probably see a lot of improvement from last year's O-line as they've been in the system now and know what pass blocking is. ;) Our offense should be stellar. I expect nothing less.
Our special teams is still a question mark as far as I'm concerned, at least on kickoffs and punts. We have a new punter, and really all I want, is an adequate job and consistency. I'll take a 40 yard average right now. :) Tejada is the kicker again, and so far he's done nothing to impress me at all. He'll have to get his head straight and his kicks for us to win more than 7 games I think. Hopefully the addition of John Smith our special teams will improve all around. This is one of my biggest concerns going into the season and it has been for it seems like 20 years. I think that's about how long it's been since we've had a decent kicking game. ;) Kickoff returns haven't been an issue, but I can't remember the last time we have a true threat at punt returner. I hope that changes this year. Lord knows we have some burners that can do the job, the coaches just need to find the right guy. I'm hoping will be improved on all of our special teams, but take a wait and see approach on them, as I don't expect a whole lot overall one way or the other. All I know is that we have to improve and not just a little bit.
That's about all of my ramblings for now.
As always GO HOGS!!!!!
On offense we look loaded. I mean if our QB play is improved at all, which I'm betting it will be, then I don't see how our offense doesn't improve tremendously. The talent at QB is better than we've ever had probably, but it's got to be translated to play on the field of course. I think it will. The depth at RB (8 quality guys) and WR (12 quality guys) is astonishing to me. Practices should be awesome to watch just watching the competition at these two positions. TE is a rather thin position but we have one of if not the most talented one in the nation in DJ. If he stays healthy, he'll have a great year and if Cleveland can stay healthy for a season, we'll be even deeper at the WR/TE position than we already are. Our O-line looks as deep as ever and I think versatility is the key word there as they seem to plug different guys into different places depending on the situation and don't hesitate at all to move a guard to the center position if they think one is capable of the move. That's the one question mark for me is, who will replace Luigs? I think we've got some worthy candidates and that should be an interesting development to watch as camp goes on. I think we should probably see a lot of improvement from last year's O-line as they've been in the system now and know what pass blocking is. ;) Our offense should be stellar. I expect nothing less.
Our special teams is still a question mark as far as I'm concerned, at least on kickoffs and punts. We have a new punter, and really all I want, is an adequate job and consistency. I'll take a 40 yard average right now. :) Tejada is the kicker again, and so far he's done nothing to impress me at all. He'll have to get his head straight and his kicks for us to win more than 7 games I think. Hopefully the addition of John Smith our special teams will improve all around. This is one of my biggest concerns going into the season and it has been for it seems like 20 years. I think that's about how long it's been since we've had a decent kicking game. ;) Kickoff returns haven't been an issue, but I can't remember the last time we have a true threat at punt returner. I hope that changes this year. Lord knows we have some burners that can do the job, the coaches just need to find the right guy. I'm hoping will be improved on all of our special teams, but take a wait and see approach on them, as I don't expect a whole lot overall one way or the other. All I know is that we have to improve and not just a little bit.
That's about all of my ramblings for now.
As always GO HOGS!!!!!
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